


Delicate Lady

by msrosey (berbaric)



Series: Ultimate Wife Form [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: ....for now, Cold Weather, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Platonic Cuddling, no beta we die like badniks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:33:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26166433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berbaric/pseuds/msrosey
Summary: No, this was Shadow. Shadow, Ultimate Life Form, self-proclaimed living weapon, oddly un-reluctant portable heater, and now—Big spoon.
Relationships: Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog
Series: Ultimate Wife Form [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896115
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	Delicate Lady

Of all the things you could accuse Shadow of being, Amy never thought affectionate would be one of them. Or maybe it was more touch-feely? Cuddly?

No.

Not cuddly, Amy decided, if only because the thought of stringing together his name with that word made her feel slightly ill. Or maybe that was just the result of spending nearly three days camping out in the snowy wilds. 

Amy had been just as surprised as everyone else when Shadow had gone with her on this scouting mission, more so because that meant he followed the original plan and Shadow _never_ followed plans. He followed the biggest threat and Sonic was off dealing with that.

Ergo, he should have been following Sonic. This mission was just one of those basic update-surrounding-townships on the latest intel and processes for defending themselves agains badniks, all while training a couple interested recruits on self defense. Amy had assumed that she’d have to fill his spot with Big the Cat after he bailed, or a few other backups - Silver had been one, if he jumped back from the future in time (Hah) - but of all the things to plan for, she didn’t plan for this. 

Shadow. _Listening to orders._

Sighing, Amy straightened out the rest of her bedroll in the back of the cave she’d found. It’s not like it was a bad thing, it was just…strange. She’d been sure getting him to continue carrying her in the cold would be an ordeal, but she’d also been prepared with tough it out with big puppy eyes and strategic mentions of the M-word. She’d ended up needing neither as Shadow had, _without prompting_ , continued to pick her up after every stop in the snow. And piggybacking her during fights so she could use her hammer.

And then, when the mission was done, he’d almost seemed…reluctant? To let go? 

Amy hadn’t been exactly sure what that slight squeeze had been, when she’d told him he could let her go after the fight, but it wasn’t anything she had a good answer for. And in typical Amy Rose fashion, she was very happy to ignore it in favor of things that fit her world view. Maybe her feminine wiles were just better than she thought?

A sudden burst of heat beside her alerted her of Shadow’s arrival. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, past the mouth of the cave. “We’re too close to Eggman territory. No fire tonight,” he said matter-of-factly. 

Amy let out a long groan.“But it’s cold!” His look stayed uncaring and she changed tactics, pouting. "Can’t we just take out the Eggman troops and camp in the base? The _warm_ base.”

Shadow shot her an unimpressed look, saying, “Not unless you want to draw attention to the surrounding towns. Besides, it’s a robot base. No heating.”

Stupid Eggman and his failure to prepare for chill-prone hedgehogs in need of shelter. Amy sighed, falling back onto her bedroll. Her absurdly thin bedroll that was in no way enough to keep her from shivering through the night. If only she had the same metabolism as Shadow, that would be nice. Being her own portable heater, and with snow melting shoes! Eyes closed, Amy snorted. She could only wish. 

Something moved beside her and Amy froze. Was that…?

“Up,” said _that’s_ voice, and Amy complied if only because she wasn’t sure if this was part of some Eggman trick. Were his metal versions that good now, to trick her? No, they couldn’t be, she realized, if only because the arm snaking around her middle was anything but steel. The lap she was summarily hoisted up and placed into was also not same metallic cold as a badnik. And the long breath that brushed the spines on the top of her head loose was definitely not exhaust from an Eggman creation. 

No, this was Shadow. Shadow, Ultimate Life Form, self-proclaimed living weapon, oddly un-reluctant portable heater, and now—

_Big spoon._

Even as Amy’s mind reeled at the current goings-on, her chilled body was all too happy to sink back into the warm of his fur. Wow, he really was a sauna. And this was oddly nice. And she had just been concerned about freezing to death in her sleep, so really, wasn’t this the lesser of two evils? Er, outcomes? Amy shuffled back into his arms. He really _was_ warm. And offering, with very little badgering or nagging on her part. She never really saw him touching anyone else, so maybe he was just…unfamiliar with the usual boundaries? Not that she was complaining!

Amy yawned as the insane heat radiating from him began to sink through her clothes. Even with Shadow as a ride, more than a little bit of cold had made its way into her bones. The wind chill from speeding through mountains hadn’t helped, although she’d assured him multiple times it was better than having to slough through the snow drifts herself. He’d been such a worry-wart, lately. And wasn’t that a word she never would’ve thought to associate with the Ultimate Life form.

In the last moments before sleep claimed her, Amy could admit it was kind of nice. Someone caring about the little things. She closed her eyes as he started to move a little, too far gone to complain. If he changed his mind about being her heater, he had to shove her limp unconscious body off on his own. 

He adjusted his hold very little in the end, only succeeding in making it…tighter? Almost...a squeeze? A light sigh tickled her ear, making it flick. So slight it could’ve been her imagination, Amy felt Shadow's muscle loosen up, his entire frame growing less tense. She hid her smile in her hair.

_Total_ cuddler. 


End file.
